Your Opinion: Legal and illegal immigration

Your Opinion: Legal and illegal immigration

July 18th, 2012by Don Fleener, Jefferson City
in News

Dear Editor:

What is the value of American citizenship when illegal immigration is equated with legal immigration. When listening to the news media they show no distinction between the two. On July 4 we celebrated the birth of our country. How can we describe ourselves as being Americans when we cannot distinguish ourselves from people who have come into our country illegally.

I am a firm believer in legal immigration but to be an American we must follow the laws.

The law states that we have a process to citizenship. People who legally immigrated to the United States have waited years and spent thousands of dollars for a better life. Many are bitter about seeing our country equate legal immigration with illegal immigration.

Over the past several weeks we have seen the Democratic Party in the attempt to garner votes from the Hispanic population try to blur the line between legal immigration and illegal migration.

Eric Holder's blocking of the purging of the voter roles in Florida by allowing people that do not have the rights as citizens to vote is one example. Nancy Pelosi's accusation that Eric Holder was held in contempt because of his views of voter suppression is another.

President Obama's executive order to give work permits to young illegal Hispanics every two years if they register blurred the lines; his refusal to enforce the immigration laws in the border states and his attorney general's blocking Arizona's access to the immigration date base.

The arguments by the liberals in this country are people just want to have a better life. But isn't that the same thing that every American citizen is looking for. Today we have unemployment in the United States of 8.2 percent.

What would that be if the 12 million illegal aliens were not here? This will become the argument if the economy does not improve. In Greece food aid is given only to Greeks. Immigrants, legal or illegal, are not being given the aid.

Legal immigration is of great value to this country by having a process where we can gather people from around the world.

We can gather different cultures which we can learn from and improve our country. By allowing illegal immigration which floods the country with one countries people we are not fairly bringing people from around the world. We are increasing the wait for people who want to be law-abiding immigrants and true citizens of America.